Til the End of Time
by LeeLee-san
Summary: Paris, 1900. A broken man finds the strength to do what he promised to do. “…a story about a time, a story about a place, a story about the people. But above all things, a story about love. A love that will live forever.” LeonxCloud in the Moulin Rouge!
1. Chapter 1

LeeLee-san: Well Hello all . I know this isn't exactly what you expected(and probably not what you wanted) But I thought, 'Hey why not give them something while they're waiting'. So while you are currently waiting for updates for Undying Love, I'll give you at least something to go on here.

Riku: Is she serious?

Sasuke: Yep..I think she is.

Riku: /sigh/ Well hmm there are probably going to be people other than the ones who are reading UL checking this story out.

LeeLee-san: Oh that's right! Hello to all new comers! Much love and huggles if you review..don't care what you say, just say something!

Sasuke: Hey I'm actually getting to say stuff here!. . .Even though I'm not in the story..darn it!

Riku: Hey I'm not even the lead..

Cloud:. . . I'm who?!

LeeLee-san: /sweat drop/ On to the disclaimer. Oh if you don't know who's playing whom, it'll be stated at the bottom of the chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Well if you read the summary you know this is pretty much the retelling of Moulin Rouge but with our very lovable KH characters. Don't like character death at the end, don't read. Here for a good depressing ending, well then you're in luck. If you love the movie, then I hope you love this story! Obviously it won't be exactly like the movie because movies have visuals and can jump around from part to part, so I hope you all are ok with me trying to tell it in a more practical way. I'll also be using some of the parts from the script they had written down originally but didn't put in the final product. Don't own the rights to Moulin Rouge or Kingdom Hearts, but that's obvious now isn't it. May contain some strong language, will contain sexual references as well as the act of sex in later chapters, but right now it's still very clean. Warnings will be given in later chapters if a lemon is contained in them.

"speech"  
_'thoughts'  
__**Singing  
**__Thought/Written Word/Main POV's Thoughts  
(__Dates/Locations)_

* * *

**Til the End of Time**

_**There was a boy  
A very strange enchanted boy  
They say he wandered very far..  
Very far..**_

_**Over land and sea..**_

_Paris 1900_

The grand city of Paris at the turn of the century, so different from the place it had been only a year ago. The illusions had faded away, and all those who had suffered it were finally given the cols slap in the 

face the rest of the world wanted them to have. Poor drunkards moved about in the street, call ladies walked about in their tattered clothes, some coughing from the sicknesses they caught and passed on. The streets were dirty now, most littered with the dead and dying. How things had changed in only months was a mystery. Even the buildings now lacked the luster they had been built with, paint peeling off, and words fading away. Some were even left alone to fall apart, their former tenants abandoning for many a reason.

Yet one such building lay falling apart, not bad enough to the point where it wasn't inhabitable, but there were certainly holes in the walls, ceilings, floors.. The fact that it leaked was more than obvious, but it's inhabitants learned to deal with this fact, it was a part of life in such a city, one inhabitant no longer cared. Almost nothing in his life really had meaning to him now. On his bed he sat, his eyes staring out his window towards the city. How much time had pasted? Days? Weeks? Months? Alcohol was the only thing that gave him an accurate judgment of time. He would have to go out when there was none left, and then he'd be able to look at the news papers, he'd remember the date before he retreated to his room once more.

_**A little shy  
And sad of eye..  
But very wise..was he**_

Sometimes he would go days without eating before someone came up and forced him to. He didn't put up much resistance, and most of the time he didn't even remember who it was who came to see him. He knew his state must have not been well by the way they all looked at him. They all gave him that look, they pitied him, and then they'd leave and talk about how sad his story was. How if he continued on his current path it would lead to his destruction. What were they too afraid to say things to his face? Did they think he didn't know that he was falling apart? He knew what he was doing himself, it may have been a slow process, but he knew it would eventually lead to his death. Wasn't it obvious that that was what he wanted?..No..not yet..he had to fulfill the promise he made. But every time he went to the typewriter nothing ever came to him. He'd simply sat there and stared at it before he couldn't take it anymore and returned to his spot on his bed in the corner of his room, returned to his sweet sweet alcohol.

_**And then one day,  
One magic day he passed my way  
And while we spoke of many things  
Fools and kings  
This he said to me…**_

But today..he'd try again today. Setting down the bottle he clutched to his hand, he clutched the small blanket he had wrapped around him to himself. Hmm should it have been this hard to get up and make it over to his desk right near the window? Apparently so, he found himself shaking and stumbling over other discarded bottles before he seated himself roughly in the chair in front of the typewriter. He'd made a promise..and today he would begin the fulfillment of it. Like a gift from heaven his muse seemed to come to him, his fingers gliding over the writer as words began to appear on the old paper he had placed in it so long ago.

_**This he said to me:  
'The Greatest Thing  
You'll Ever Learn,  
Is Just To Love,  
And Be Loved..In Return'**_

_The Moulin Rouge..a night club, a dancehall and a bordello..__ruled over by Harold Zidler. A kingdom of night-time pleasures where the rich and powerful came to play with the young and beautiful creatures of the underworld. The most beautiful of all these was the man I loved. Cloud. A courtesan, he sold his love to men. They called him "the sparkling diamond", and he was the star of the Moulin Rouge._

_The man I love..is dead._

He paused, the hard lump returning to his throat once more. Even now the feeling was raw, cut like a knife into his heart, causing his eyes to water unwillingly. He had tried so hard to feel nothing, how he wished he could feel nothing, but every time he thought about it he felt all of those old feelings once more. The alcohol had made it go away..even if it was for those few scant moments where he could forget and feel nothing but the burning in his throat and stomach from the drinks. But such a fleeting thing that was, only lasting until the alcohol was gone and his buzz faded away. No..he couldn't allow himself to stop now, he'd started it, and he'd finish it..he couldn't stop now. So once more he forced his shaking hands to rise to the machine, pushing past his tears and only thinking of the story he was going to tell.

_I first came to Paris one year ago, after having an argument with my father about my future. And there is where our story begins. _

_England, 1899_

It was the turn of the century..so many new inventions being made..so much life going on out there. There was a revolution building, and not the violent kind. The world was changing, opening up to music, dancing, and written word. Oh how the world was becoming light and color. Well the world outside was becoming light and color, his world here was remaining dull and gray. Did anyone truly understand how he craved to be out there, part of the revolution, part of something that would be remembered by generations to come? No, his father's answers made that clear.

"The world's changing and I want to change with it!" Squall burst out, his frustration with this old conversation peaking once more. How many times had they had this argument before? Too many times for him to remember or even count, and once again his father invaded his room to have yet another talk with him.

"It's not time to make a change! Just relax, take it easy, you're still young. There's so much you have to learn. Find a girl, settle down, get married if you like. I was like you once, young and foolish, excited at every little change in the world, all of its new ideals. Believe me, wait things out, in time things will return to the way they've always been, and this so called 'Bohemian Revolution' will be nothing but a passing fad." The tall dark haired man replied. Others found it hard to see the resemblance in the two, Squall having managed to pick up most, if not all of his traits from his mother. But the eyes, that was the one area where he couldn't escape being like his father. No, his eyes were the same stormy gray blue color as his father's, not the soft blue green of his mother's he had sometimes wished he had.

A soft sigh left Laguna as he realized that his son paid not a single bit of attention to the words he spoke. If his son only listened he could expel all of his ridiculous thoughts of being a writer. If Squall listened he could have a future, a profitable future where he would never have to worry about where he was going to sleep or what he was going to eat. He would have a happy future! Why was the boy so stubborn? Certainly a trait he gathered from his mother. "Think of all of the potential you have! Don't you know how easy it would be for you to become one of the richest clerks in London?" With a frown Laguna turned and looked out of the window of his son's bedroom. "Forget this thought of a revolution, it will leave you penniless, a beggar, and there will be no one there to come to your rescue." He had to make his son understand, even if that meant he had to use harsh words.

"How can I try to explain? When I do you'll turn away again. It'll always be the same old story. From the moment I could talk, I was ordered to listen. All those times I cried, keeping all these things I know inside. But it's harder to ignore it..to ignore how I feel. I'll never be happy here, I have to go." For once he opened himself to his father, tried to get the man to see what he knew his mother would understand. But she wasn't here..she'd died giving birth to him..but he knew..he knew she would have understood. And he had to get this man to understand. "They're having a real Bohemian Revolution in Paris..I must go there..I must write of truth..of beauty, freedom..of love!"

That was it, Laguna had had enough of this talk. "Always this ridiculous obsession with love! Things won't turn out how you think. It's a village of sin! You'll end up wasting your life away in the Moulin Rouge with some can-can dancer!" His voice shook the walls as he glowered down at his son. He wouldn't allow it, no son of his would make a fool of himself! Yet Squall was just as stubborn as his father in this area, and he wouldn't yield, no not on this. Standing he locked eyes with his father, not flinching for a moment.

"You're wrong. Everything that I've ever dreamed of is waiting there for me. I won't let you make me miss this chance. I've already gotten my ticket for the ferry. I'll buy my train ticket to Paris once I reach the mainland. You don't have to worry about me, I won't come crawling back to you to beg for money." Not once did he turn away from his father, only at the end of his statement did he look to the suitcase he had already packed. "You've already decided Ellone's future; I won't let you have mine."

_I was determined then..I guess I still am now. That was the last time I'd see my father alive._

* * *

LeeLee-san: And end chapter one! That turned out better than I thought.

Riku: /sigh/ why am I not surprised this story's about Leon and Cloud.

LeeLee-san: Would you rather it be about you and Sora?

Riku: /shakes head/ no no, Leon and Cloud is fine.

Cloud: /pouts/

LeeLee-san: Stop complaining all of you! Be happy with what you get!! You make other people happy with these stories! Or sad..eh, whatever they want to take from it.

Sasuke: Ahem, aren't you forgetting something?

LeeLee-san: Oh that's right, who plays whom!!

Squall/Leon : Christian  
Cloud : Satine  
Riku : Zidler  
Sora : Toulouse  
Sephiroth : The Duke  
Rinoa : Nini Legs in the Air  
Vincent : The Argentinean (XD)  
Hmm don't believe there are any other really important roles that needs someone to replace them , so all other names will remain as they were in the movie. Laguna and Ellone were just mentioned here and won't be making an appearance in the rest of the story, except maybe flashback words.


	2. The Moulin Rouge!

LeeLee-san: Oh wow, story's only been up for about five hours and it's got twenty hits already! Awesome you guys! Wish you all would review, but I'll take getting that many hits!

Riku: Ya know, you're probably gonna have some people hating you for the way this story ends.

LeeLee-san: Why should they hate me? If they've seen Moulin Rouge, they should know how it ends, the perfect tragedy. /sigh/ Such a beautiful romance story.

Cloud: My suffering in one story just isn't enough for you is it?

LeeLee-san: Nope! Because I love you, I want to give you much of my attention. Besides, you say that like I don't feel your pain! I do roleplay you.

Cloud: Yeah well..sometimes I wonder. You seem to take a little too much pleasure in my pain.

LeeLee-san: Only in the sake of art my dearest Cloud! Only in the sake of art. Oh if any of you readers find any mistakes in here, let me know please!

**Disclaimer: ** Don't own Moulin Rouge or Kingdom Hearts, because if I did then one wouldn't be released in America because of all of the yaoi, and the other would probably be put on hold because of Ewan being stalked all of the time.

"speech"  
_'thought'  
__**Singing  
**__Thought/Written Word/Main POV's Thoughts  
(__Dates/Locations)_

* * *

**The Moulin Rouge!**

Leon..hated sailing. He hadn't realized this fact until now, but he absolutely hated being on a little ship in the middle of an ocean. If he had it his way, and it was very likely that he would, he would never get on a ship again. He hated being tossed about in the dark sea, unable to control anything..If the waters got too rough there would be nothing he could do to stop the boat from overturning and causing all in the ship to drown. No no, he shouldn't allow himself to think these things; he needed to concentrate on where his destination was, not his transportation to said destination. Soon stormy gray blue eyes looked out past the bow of the ferry, the dimly lit sky making it a bit harder for him to see the land they were so quickly approaching. After having lived in England for all of his life he was used to this kind of sky, and the fact that it wasn't raining only served as an upside to him. And with each passing second he found himself growing more and more excited the closer the ferry grew to the mainland.

This was it wasn't it! He was going to really do it, he was going to live out his dream! He was going to write, become part of it all! His father was wrong, and now was his chance to prove it! His journey from the small ferry to the train station was almost a blur as he pushed passed the crowd of people to buy his ticket. He could hardly contain how he felt, and this became all too apparent to the passengers that 

were seated in the same train compartment with him. Every five seconds he would stop or start tapping his foot while staring out of the window as the landscape of France passed him by. How beautiful this place was! And the sun shined a lot more here, which was always a plus!

But nothing about the weather, or the train ride, or the boat ride could overcome his excitement of actually being in Paris. He was really here, and it wasn't just another one of his dreams! The dingy streets were like gold to him, the city itself a sparkling jewel as he stepped off of the train. He knew he was smiling like an idiot now, but god he couldn't stop himself from doing such. Leon may have been the only one on the train this happy about getting to Paris, but damn it he was going to enjoy every second of his first day in Paris. Well that was until he realized that he could only afford a small dilapidated apartment in Montmartre. But even this only broke his stride for a moment, before he realized that this was the place he wanted to be. The streets of Montmartre were just crawling with revolutionaries! One simply needed to step outside and he would be greeted by musicians, painters, and we mustn't forget writers.

_Yes I had come to live a penniless existence, just as I had said I would.__I had come to write about truth, beauty, freedom__. _. ._and that which I believed in above all things, love. _

His room was small, just big enough for a bed, a writing table and his type writer, a dresser to place his clothes in, and a very small bathroom that only held a toilet and a shower with no curtains. Certainly just the essentials, huh? Well there went cooking at home, he'd just have to go out to eat if he wanted a hot cooked meal. Which really wasn't such a bad thing, that gave him a chance to experience Paris in full. As he inspected the rest of his garrett, he found that not all of the plaster and wallpaper remained on the walls; as well as the fact that there were quite a few small, and some large, holes littered around in the walls, ceiling, and some even in the floor. With a deep inhale, Leon looked the small apartment over once more before sighing all the air out. He certainly couldn't complain, this was what he asked for wasn't it? Besides a few holes in the ceiling and floor couldn't hurt him right? Sure it may leak when it rained, and he'd have to watch where he stepped, but no big deal right?

With a nod Leon set out to unpack his few belongings. All the clothes he had managed to pack into his suitcase were surprisingly easy to fit into the dresser. Hey at least he didn't need to buy a new one because his clothes didn't all fit into it! Yep, he had to look on the bright side of things; it would only get worse if he started adding up all of the problems. With a soft smile he went at last to set his type writer onto the table by the window. During the day this spot would be perfect for writing. The sun would shine right in on the writer, and he'd be able to look out of the window onto the busy street below, and all of this would help to inspire him. Even now he could feel the inspiration coming, and well what better time to start writing than now? With a grin as wide as a mile Leon sat down in front of his type writer, hands rising in exuberance to write his first words.

. . . . . . .

_There was just one problem. I had never been in love._

_Luckily, right at that moment an unconscious Argentinean fell through my roof._

The sudden sound of a crash, glass, plaster, and whatever else held up the ceiling being broken, quickly broke Leon out of his momentary writers block. Of course this little incident almost gave him heart attack as he nearly leaped across the room to get away from whatever had caused this deafening sound. Breathing heavily to try and calm his heart, Leon looked to what exactly had caused all of this ruckus. Speechless he stared at where a hole now stood in his ceiling, and where an unconscious man now hung. Even though the man was unconscious and hanging there, he couldn't help but take note that the male was surely tall when he was standing. At least six feet tall; and the man's skin was much pale than what Leon expected an Argentinean's to be. Leon would have gotten a better look at the man's face, but the Argentinean's short black hair was just long enough to conceal his features. Just what in the world was going on? But Leon had no time to think or react, because before he knew what had happened, a rather small boy came battering down his door..at least..Leon thought he was a boy, despite the fact that he was dressed as a nun.

"How do you do? My name is Sora Marie Raymond Toulouse-Lautrec Montfa." The small boy beamed, shaking Leon's hand before rushing to where the man had fallen through the ceiling. So he had been right about the boy being a boy. Leon was almost taken aback by the brightness of the boy's eyes, and even more so Sora's spiky brown locks that weren't well covered by the nun headdress. But he didn't have much time to dwell on this either, seeing as his attention was being pulled back to the task at hand and the man who was still dangling between the floor/ceiling of the apartments.

"Uh..What..is.." Leon went to ask, his mind try desperately to keep up with what was going on.

"I'm terribly sorry about this. We were just upstairs rehearsing a play." The boy known as Sora responded quickly as he inspected his fallen comrade.

_A_ _play, something very modern called "Spectacular Spectacular"._

"What?" This was a bit too much for Leon.

"And it's set in Switzerland!" The small boy chimed in once more. Sora was a bit too excited about that part, but Leon didn't even think or wonder why he was.

_Unfortunately, the unconscious Argentinean suffered from a sickness called Narcolepsy._

"You see, he could be perfectly fine one minute and then suddenly unconscious the next." Sora said, turning to Leon and going through all of the motions to give visuals of what he was saying.

'_Good grief what have I gotten myself into in picking this place to live in?'_ Leon inwardly questioned himself before three more unknown people stuck their heads through the rather large hole in his ceiling.

"How is he?" An odd looking bald man with glasses questioned. He would later be deemed Satie by the others.

" Oh Wonderful. Now the narcoleptic Argentinean is now unconscious, and therefore the scenario will not be finished in time to present to the financier tomorrow." A not so happy looking man with over 

done make-up and hair said, almost glowering down at Sora. Leon would soon find his name to be Audrey.

"He's right Sora. I still have to finish the music!" Satie said, his eyes bulging a little due to the large glasses he wore.

"Well we're just going to have to find someone to read Vincent's part." The small one said, nodding his head.

"Where in heaven's name are we going to find someone to read the role of a young sensitive Swiss poet/ goatherder?" Audrey said quickly, his voice becoming squeaky the longer he talked. His nerves were wound wait too tight for Leon's liking. Yet what Leon found to be even less to his liking was the sudden stares he was receiving from all who were present in the room..Or erm rooms, since the others were sticking their heads through the hole in his ceiling.

_Before I knew it, I was upstairs standing in for the unconscious Argentinean. They laid him on the bed, and dressed me in one of the silliest costumes I had ever seen. Surely the Swiss didn't really wear things like this. But I had no chance to protest or even speak a word before they placed me up on a ladder and handed me a script. _

"_**The hills animate with the euphonious symphonies of descaaaaaant!" **_Sora sang out, his smile never leaving his features as he swayed along to the odd music Satie played. Unfortunately for all, it would seem that dearest Audrey didn't like the sound of things.

"Oh stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!" Audrey cried out, causing all to stop and look up at him. "Stop that insufferable droning! It's drowning out my words! Can we please just stick to a little decorative piano?" The man screeched, glowering down at Satie.

_There seemed to be artistic differences over Audrey's lyrics to Satie's songs._

"I don't think a nun would say that about a hill." The third stranger who was only known as 'The Doctor' chimed in.

"What if he sings 'the hills are vital, intoning the descant'?" Satie asked, looking to the others for approval.

"No, no. The hills quake and shake…" Sora said, his right hand coming to his chin as he began to think.

"No, no, no, no. The hills…" The Doctor began to speak once more but quickly stopped.

"The hills are incarnate with symphonic melodies!" Vincent spouted, waking like a mad man from his dreamlike state, for a moment everyone stopped to look at him. And just as suddenly as he had awakened, he fell back to his slumbering place on the bed.

"No.." Everyone said, shaking their heads and going back to trying to find the right words.

"The hills..." Oh Leon had it! He had lyrics that could work! Now if only he could get everyone else to listen to him..which was easier said than done.

"No. The hills.." Sora said shaking his head.

"The hills…" Leon tried once more, his voice pleading to be listened to.

"The hills…" Sora thought, rubbing his chin once more.

"The hills are chanting the eternal mantra…" The Doctor added his thoughts once more.

"The hills are alive…" Leon was beginning to get a little frustrated as he waved the script in his hand to try and get their attention. But once again he was cut off by rather strange words coming from Satie. "Frank is living in my foot!" The pianist chimed out. That was it, Leon was going to have to get them to listen to him one way or another. And well..here he went.

"_**The hills are alive, with the sound of music!"**_

Silence. Speechless they stood as Leon's voice rang out above theirs. And suddenly once more the Argentinean was awake, and coming towards Leon with a rather menacing look in his red eyes. "The hills are alive with the sound of music!" Came the taller man's deep voice. "I love it!" The Argentinean spouted happily. With a relieved sigh Leon looked to the others, finding them all standing in thoughtful posses. Did they like it as well?

"The hills.." The Doctor began.

"..are alive.." Sora continued.

"..with the sound of music.." Satie finalized as he sat in a contortionist like pose playing his odd music. "It fits perfectly!" He shouted at last.

Leon couldn't help himself but to continuing the song, finding encouragement in the growing excitement of the others there.

"_**With songs they have sung for a thousand years!"**_

Leon knew that goofy grin had returned to his face once more, but he didn't care. He didn't know what was so wonderful about all of this, but he waited eagerly for the response of the group present there. For a moment he didn't receive one at all, they just stood staring at him, amazed.

"Incandiferous! Audrey, you two should write the show together!" Sora said gleefully after the moment of silence.

"I beg your pardon?" Audrey said slowly, almost in disbelief of what was just said.

_But Sora's suggestion that Audrey and I write the show together was not what Audrey wanted to hear._

"Goodbye!" The writer said instantly, slamming the door as he exited the room with all of his text. Leon looked around in shock, yet none of them seemed even the slightest bit phased by what had just happened.

"Here's to your first job in Paris!" Sora beamed, holding a glass of absinthe out for Leon to take. Leon on the other had could only stare as he stood on the ladder, a look of utter confusion written all over his face. Two questions ran through his head. One: What had just happened; and two: was Sora even old enough to drink? The boy certainly didn't look it.

"Sora, Riku will never agree. No offence, but have you ever written anything like this before?" Satie took his turn as the voice of reason, tapping Sora's shoulder lightly before looking to Leon.

"No." Leon replied, almost crestfallen.

"Ah, the boy has talent!" Vincent spoke up once more, his hand falling upon Leon's crotch which prompted the brunet to gasp. "I like him!" The Argentinean said, completely unaware of where his hand had been until he looked. "Nothing funny, I just like talent." He muttered quickly afterwards, removing his hand and moving a bit away from Leon.

"'The hills are alive with the sound of music'—see Satie, with Leon we can write the truly bohemian revolutionary show that we've always dreamt of!" Sora said, giving his best puppy dog eyes to try and convince his friend.

"But how will we convince Riku?" Satie asked, once more causing Sora to stop and think things over.

_But Sora had a plan._

"Cloud." Sora said, nodding as he began to whisper his planes to the other Bohemians, just out of Leon's ear reach.

_They would dress me in the Argentinean's best suit, and pass me off as a famous English writer to get within the Moulin Rouge. Once Cloud heard my modern poetry, he would be astounded, and insist to Zidler that I write "Spectacular Spectacular". The only problem was, I kept hearing my father's voice in my head:_  
"You'll end up wasting your life away in the Moulin Rouge with some can-can dancer!"

"No, no, no! I can't write the show for the Moulin Rouge!" Leon said, bolting for the ladder that connected his room to this one, where Vincent had fallen through his ceiling. But the Bohemians weren't going to give up that easily and quickly followed after him.

"Why not?" Sora asked, this time his puppy dog eyes would certainly work on Leon.

" I-I don't even know if I am a true Bohemian revolutionary." Leon said, looking down for a moment. Sure he came here to write and be a part of the revolution, but he didn't think he'd be a big force in it.

"What!" The Doctor said in disbelief, but he was quickly cut off by Sora.

"Do you believe in beauty?" Sora asked, eyes locking with Leon's.

"Yes." Leon replied without doubt.

"Freedom?" Vincent asked next.

"Yes, of course." Leon responded, his conviction unwavering.

"Truth?" Satie asked thirdly.

"Yes." Leon responded with a nod.

"Love?" The Doctor asked finally.

"Love?" Leon questioned back. "Love. Above all things I believe in love. Love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love!" Leon said, his heart swelling as his voice lifted, carrying his thoughts of love out to the Bohemians.

With a grin Sora nodded to the other Bohemians. "See, you can't fool us! You're the voice of the children of the revolution!"

"We can't be fooled!" Satie, Vincent, and The Doctor chimed in after Sora, and all together they pulled Leon back into the studio with them.

"Let's drink to the new writer of the world's first bohemian revolutionary show!" Sora said, bringing drinks to all. Once again Leon had to wonder if the boy was even old enough to drink, but he decided it was best not to question.

_It was the perfect plan. I was to audition for Cloud, and I would taste my first glass of Absinthe._

_It's amazing what absinthe can make you see, get you to do. I'm sure we looked like fools singing to the Green Fairy placed on the label of the absinthe bottle._

_**There was a boy…**_

"I'm the Green Fairy!" The Fairy came to life! Leon was simply dazzled by this, and it would seem the bohemians were as well.

"_**The hills are alive with the sound of music!"**_ She sang as they all stood mesmerized by her body and voice.

…_**a very strange enchanted boy…**_

_Somehow we had managed to dress in the proper attire, despite the fact that we were all so taken by the absinthe._

_**"Yeah! Freedom, beauty, truth, and love!"**_ They all sang, their tattered clothes were tossed aside for the nice suits they planned to wear to the Moulin Rouge. Even hair was combed neatly back. How much they had all had to drink was already lost to the song and movement they had become a part of.

"_**The hills are alive. . .**_**" **The fairy continued, flying into the sky and writing the words they sang.

"_**You won't fool the children of the revolution;**_

_**No, you won't fool the children. . ."**_ Leon found himself singing along to words he had only mildly known.

"_**. . .with the sound of music!"**_

"_**..Of the revolution, the revolution, **_

_**The revolution, of the revolution…"**_ The fairy began to multiply, her song and dance continuing, dazzling them as she lead them towards their destination.

_We were off to the Moulin Rouge, and I was to perform my poetry for Cloud. As we grew closer I was simply amazed at all of the lights, the colors, the people! It seemed that anything could happen, and it was perfectly fine, just as long as one could afford the cost to have their fantasy come true. _

_**They say he wondered very far…**_

"The Moulin Rouge!" A semi-tall man shouted out; his silver hair, electric aqua eyes, and rather flamboyant outfit making him stand out among the large crowd of people. But Leon was sure the male could stand out with simply his energy and his voice alone. This had to have been the ringmaster, and the Moulin Rouge a circus! Look there was even a sixty foot tall elephant standing in the "garden" of the Moulin Rouge and clowns all about! Leon could only gape, his mouth partially open as his eyes wandered over all of the things going on. With a simple gesture from Riku, many girls appear from behind a mirrored wall and began stalking out into the garden

_Riku__ and his infamous girls. They called them his "Diamond Dogs."_

"_**Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" **_The girls slowly began to sing out as they went into their nightly routine.

"_**Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, flow sista. **_  
_** Hey sista, go sista. . ."**_

Leon truly didn't have any idea of what this night had in store for him…

"_**If life's an awful bore. . ."**_ Riku's voice began to rise once more, carrying out into the streets trying to attract the attention of the wealthy passersby's. Oh he knew just what to do to get them to come, why else would he have these girls dressed like this. And that wasn't all, he had men, boys, anything anyone could possibly want, he had waiting for them.

_**. . .soul sista, flow sista. . .**_

"Now things shouldn't be too hard with all this commotion. All we have to do is get past Riku. Once we're inside it's smooth sailing." Sora said, looking up to Leon with a wink. And this was true, with so many people entering, scratch that, so many _men_ entering; it wouldn't be that hard at all to slip inside unnoticed by the owner of the brothel.

"_**. . .And living's just a chore **__  
__**That we do. . ." **_Riku continued, his eyes not even glancing at the Bohemians for more than a second.

_**. . .Hey sista, go sista . .**_

" _**. . .'Cause death's not much fun. . ."**_

_**. . .soul sista. .**_  
**. . .**_**Giuchie giuchie, ya ya. . .**_

_But nothing at the Moulin Rouge was as it seemed. Riku had a sickness, an unnatural obsession. Riku had overspent wildly on the electrification of the Moulin Rouge, driving it to bankruptcy. But he had a plan, he would convert the Moulin Rouge from a dancehall into a theatre; and would put his prized possession, his Sparkling Diamond on stage. All he needed was an investor. _

" _**. . .I have just the antidote. . ."**_

**. **_**. .da da. .**_** .**

"_**. . .And though I mustn't gloat, **__  
__**At the Moulin Rouge!**__  
__**You'll have fun!"**_

The dancers were wild, and Leon found it hard not to stare as he watched the routine continue. Never in his life had he ever seen anything like this before! Did this happen every night?!

"_**. . .Just scratch that little niggle, **__  
__**Have a little wiggle. . ."**_

_. . .__**Creole Lady Marmalade. . .**_

Even more to Leon's amazement the men he had come in with began to grab at the dancers. Pulling some to themselves while others got away coyly.

"_**. . .You know that you can,**__  
__**'Cause we can can-can!"**_

Moment by moment, Leon found his senses become more overwhelmed by the lights, the singing, and most certainly the dancing. The large crowd seemed to move as one body to the music, and Leon 

realized that this must have gone on a nightly basis, because the other men were so in tune with the steps, the songs. And continuously Leon heard Riku's voice in his head, telling him that same phrase.

_**. . .You know you can can-can!**_

Without warning the men began to sing as well, their movements mirroring each other as they danced along. Leon found himself fairing well, but he couldn't help the stumbles he made here and there. Why hadn't they told him that there would be dancing? That he would have to try and look the part of the rest of the men? But Leon couldn't stay mad for long, the feeling everyone was giving off was just too uplifting.

"_**Here we are now, entertain us! **__  
__**We feel stupid and contagious!"**_

A cool smirk spread across Riku face as he watched all of the men just bursting with desire.  
_**"**__**Got some dark desire? **__  
__**Love to play with fire? **__  
__**Why not let it rip, live a little bit!" **_  
Why not encourage them? This was his business.

"_**Here we are now, entertain us!" **_The men sang out once more as they pushed closer to the dancehall. And soon Leon could hear the words just being shouted over and over again. All the choruses piling on top of each other until it was almost impossible to understand just what anyone was singing unless you were standing next to that person. Still one man's voice continued to rise above the rest and the music.

"_**Outside it may be raining. . . **__  
__**. . .But in here it's entertaining!"**_

Yet after he finished his bit, the voices would always return to the chaos it had been only moments ago.

"_**Outside things may be tragic, **__  
__**But in here we feel it's magic!"**_

How easily everyone fell into the role he wanted them to play. And the men didn't care, they knew what this place was, that it was all for their money, yet they still came.

"_**Here we are now, entertain us!"**_

Yet what Leon found the most amazing, was that once Riku stood atop the orchestra podium in the dancehall, he could easily silence all within the Moulin Rouge by simply placing his finger over his mouth. Complete and utter silence, it was almost deafening compared to all the noise Leon had been subject to only moments ago. Ironic wasn't it.

"The can-can." Riku whispered out, yet everyone knew exactly what he said. He had a place card just large enough to read on the orchestra podium, and with a simple turn of it, it landed on the exact words he had spoken. And then it all erupted. In lines the girls flew onto the floor, and all Leon could see was 

legs and ruffles. And the music came back in full force, filling the large hall once more with its glorious sound.

"_**Because we can can-can!" **_Riku yelled happily, throwing his hands into the air. The singing rang out again as well, a jumbled mess as voices and songs collided.

_**Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, flow sista.**_  
_**Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, go sista.**_  
_** Giuchie giuchie ya ya da da **_  
_** Giuchie giuchie ya ya here.**_

_**Because we can can-can!**_  
_**Yes we can can-can!**__  
__**  
Creole Lady Marmalade**_

_**Because we can can-can  
Yes we can can-can!**_

Like succubus the women began to entice the men onto the floor, motioning for them to come or simply pulling them out. With a burst everyone took the floor, moving about in a collective mass, no long looking for one form of dance. No, now it was everyone for themselves.

"_**Well you can bump and grind..." **_Leon could hear the Bohemians singing out as well, and he couldn't help himself. This was all just too infectious.

"'_**Cause it's good for your mind!"**_Leon sang, laughing as he joined everyone else on the floor, finding it impossible to not join in.

And now things were truly utter chaos, if it hadn't been for Sora calling out his name and pulling him off to the side, Leon was sure he would have been lost forever in this crowd. It was a frightening thought, yet Leon couldn't help but wonder if it would have been soo bad a thing. But all of his thoughts were brought to square one when Sora addressed the group as they sat at their table.

"Mission accomplished! We successfully evaded Riku!" Sora chimed in brightly, his blue orbs wandering over to the aforementioned male. Leon would have questioned just what kind of look Sora was giving the male, but a sudden change in the dancehall made Leon turn to look out.

"_**Cancan, cancan, cancan..."**_

The lights dimmed, and all sound merely echoed as silver confetti and smoke came down from the center of the ceiling, and every eye looked to the heavens. Leon had no idea how many times he had been left speechless that night, but he knew this was one of those moments.

"It's him, the sparkling diamond." Sora whispered out to Leon, his gaze turned upward as well. High above the crowd a lone figure sat on a diamond studded trapeze. If Leon hadn't known any better, he would have thought this was a woman, but the lack of breast showed him otherwise. The outfit the 

male wore was simply dazzling, and he was sure that this costume was made to catch the eye of each and every person in the dancehall. That boy had curves, there was no doubt about that, his costume merely accentuated them. Diamonds covered the male's corset, and to accent his shining bodice he wore black fishnet stockings, black gloves and shoes, and earrings made of diamonds hung from his ears.

And what truly called attention to the male without the aid of accessories was his hair. Even under a top hat blond spikes couldn't be hidden that well. Leon knew he was staring, but he couldn't help it, the blonde's pale skin alone could draw everyone's attention to him in this dimly lit room. And those lips..such a vibrant red color painted onto them. How did they expect him to speak to a creature that beautiful? And when the male's voice finally broke the silence, Leon was left in an even greater state of awe.

"_**The French are glad to die for love. . .**_

_**. . .They delight in fighting duels. . ."**_

_But_ _someone else was to meet Cloud that night. . ._

"_. . .__**But I prefer a man who lives. . ."**_

_. . .Riku's investor. . ._

"_. . .__**And gives expensive jewels."**_

_. . .the Duke._

Soon the lights began to shine once more as Cloud circled through the air on his trapeze, his hand outstretched and reaching to touch the hands of the crowd below before he was finally close enough to the ground to get off of it without hurting himself. Then seamlessly the blond moved through the crowd dancing, men handing diamonds and money to him as he went. And oh the half smile half smirk that lay a top the blonde's face.

"_**A kiss on the hand may be quite continental,**_

_**But diamonds are a…"**_

Now he was joined by the rest of the diamond dogs in the dancing and from time to time the singing as well.

'…_**girl's best friend.'**_

"_**A kiss may be grand, **_

_**But it won't pay the rental on your humble flat, **_

_**Or help you feed your pussycat." **_

How coy the blond was, dancing just close enough to the men to get them going before he went after a new target. Leon was glad he was no longer on the floor, he wouldn't have known what to do with himself.

'_**Men grow cold as girls grow old,' **_

"_**And we all lose our charms in the end."**_

'_**But square cut or pear-shape,**_

_**These rocks don't lose their shape.'**_

"_**Diamonds are a girl's best friend."**_

"When am I going to meet the boy?" The overly eager voice of the duke rang out as his piercing eyes locked onto Riku.

"_**Tiffany's!"**_

"After his number. I've arranged a special meeting—just you and Monsieur Cloud, totally alone." The shorter silver haired male answered.

"_**Cartier!"**_

Heaven forbid any man offer Cloud flowers. Hadn't the poor boy known any better? Perhaps this had been his first night here, or maybe he just couldn't afford anything else. But just what was Cloud to do with them? They would wither away and that would be the end of their so called usefulness. With a pout Cloud smacked the flowers away and pushed the boy down.

"After her number, I've arranged a private meeting, just you and Monsieur Cloud, totally alone." Sora chimed happily to Leon, managing to snap the taller brunet out of his stupor. And poor Leon was simply aghast with what Sora had just said to him.

"Alone?" He questioned, praying that wasn't what Sora had just said.

"Yes. Totally alone."

"Totally alone." Riku's and Sora's voices mirrored each other as they spoke to their target.

And now Cloud was atop the boy, but it probably wasn't what the boy was hoping for because Cloud didn't look too happy.

' '_**Cause we are living in a material world, **_

_**And I am a material girl!'**_

Standingup and shaking his goods over the boy, Cloud blew a kiss to the boy and the crowd that surrounded them before he was off. _"_Come and get me boys!" Cloud sang out, motioning for all of them to come closer, which they more than willingly did. They knew what to do, just like all the other nights. It may have been hard to see Cloud after he had been surrounded by the men, but soon the blond was visible once more, being held up high by the men who so adored him.  
Not wanting to release him so quickly, the ones who had grabbed him simply carried the blond to his stage.

"Excuse me." Riku said quickly to Sephiroth, before springing to that very same stage himself.

"_**Black star, Roscor!**_

"_**Talk to me Riku, tell me all about it!"**_ Cloud sang as they both reached the stage in time.

"_**There may come a time when a lass needs a lawyer,"**_

Now it was Riku's turn to sing along with his Diamond Dogs, and he had no problem with this at all. He and Cloud would have their little spectacle on stage and the crowd would be even more revved up.

'_**But diamonds are a girl's best friend.'**_ He sang, dangling a large heart shaped object covered in diamonds, which Cloud playfully reached after.

"_**There may come a time when a hard-boiled employer**_

_**Thinks you're…"**_

'…_**awful nice!'**_ Cloud bent over and shook his 'goods' once more, with Riku winking to the crowd as he made the hand motions for squeezing Cloud's butt.

"_**But get that ice or else no dice!"**_

Without even realizing it Leon stood up, his eyes locked on Cloud. Thankfully the Bohemians had been paying enough attention to hold him back. "Don't worry, don't worry I'll sally forth and tee things up!" Sora grinned, springing up. Unfortunately Sora's clumsy nature caught up to him and he managed to knock over a tray of drinks..Right into the Duke's lap.

'_**He's your guy when stocks are high,'**_

"Is the Duke here, Riku?" Cloud asked, the both of them had a momentary break from the singing. Yet they continued to dance, couldn't get the crowd upset now could they? With a smirk Cloud danced back to back with Riku, dangling one of his dark gloves he had removed.

"_Liebchen_, would Daddy let you down?" Riku cooed his reply, dangling the same diamonds he had held out for Cloud earlier.

'_**But beware when they start to descend.'**_

"I'm terribly sorry." Sora cried out, pulling out his handkerchief to try and wipe up some of the liquid he had spilt onto the duke. And this simply sent Riku into worry mode as he and Cloud spun around, his aqua orbs landing on the small boy.

"Where is he?" Cloud asked, removing his other glove as the two circled around once more.

With out even a second glance back to Sora or the duke Riku answered, sure of himself. "He's the one Sora is shaking a hanky at."

He didn't know that Sora had leaned over towards the table he had been sitting at. "Excuse me Leon, may I borrow…?" The small boy asked, pulling out the small object and shaking it out.

'_**Diamonds are a girl's best,**_

_**Diamonds are a girl's best,**_

_**Diamonds are a girl's best friend.'**_

Squinting hard Cloud focused his blue eyes on the one Riku had spoke of. For a brief moment the two locked eyes, and Cloud had to wonder why the male looked so..frightened, for a lack of better words. . "Are you sure?" Cloud asked, wondering if Riku had made a mistake. The guy he had looked at didn't look like a duke to him.

"Let me peek." Riku responded, wrapping one arm around Cloud's waist before looking to where Sephiroth was.

"Let me finish. I'm ever so sorry! It's so embarrassing." Sora said quickly, continuously trying to wipe at the Duke's crotch area; despite the fact that the taller male wanted nothing to do with the boy and was already trying to get away from him.

"That's the one, chickpea. I hope that demonic little loon doesn't frighten him off." Riku responded, returning to their little dance and finally giving Cloud the diamonds he had been dangling in front of him before; which Cloud of course took with mock surprise and happiness.

"Clean yourself off, you bourgeois pig!" Sora snorted, growing tired of Sephiroth's protests and threw the handkerchief into the larger man's face. But this didn't please the much more bulky manservant of the Duke, and promptly the male pulled aside his jacket to flash his gun to Sora.

"Sorry, sorry." Sora said, knowing better than to try and push anything further, he wasn't stupid. Besides, he had more important things to attend to. Like the previous incident never happened, Sora began to make his way towards Cloud, doing his best not to get trampled in the crowd of much larger men.

All the while, Cloud and Riku continued their little act, the both of them turning to each other and growling before they pounced. Quickly the Diamond Dogs leapt into place, shielding the pair from on lookers with their long dresses.

"Will he invest?" Cloud asked, quickly beginning to remove his first costume, his top hat flying off first.

"Pigeon! After spending the night with you, how could he refuse?" Riku responded, the mere thought of Sephiroth not leaping for a chance to invest after being with Cloud was unfathomable.

"What's his type? Wilting flower? Bright and bubbly? Or smoldering temptress?" Cloud asked, thankful for the help he received from one of the girls. Costume changes weren't easy, least of all while on stage!

"I'd say smoldering temptress. We're all relying on you, gosling. Remember, a real show, in a real theatre, with a real audience. And you'll be..." Riku said, doing a little change of his own. Part of their little act. Cloud would come out with a change of clothes, and he would come out with only his undergarments on.

"A real actor..." Cloud breathed out. It was his dream..and maybe now he could really do it. Returning the smirk to his face, Cloud nodded to Riku, time to finish up this little number.

"_**Cause that's when those louses. . ." **_Cloud sang springing up in a rather pink and feathery outfit, just as dazzling as the last one. Diamonds merely accented this costume, no the main focus on this one had to have been the pink feathers that trailed to the ground on the back of his costume. the Diamond Dogs dispersing from around the blond and Riku, who pretended to be shocked about not having anything but his undergarments on.

"Bejewelled vision!" The voice of Sora tried to call out from the crowd. Unfortunately he just wasn't loud enough, or tall enough to reach over the mass of people, and his voice went unheard.

" _**. . .Go back to their spouses. . ."**_

"Amazonian goddess!" Sora tried once more, hoping his voice would reach the ears of the Sparkling Diamond. But Cloud had other plans as two of the clowns lifted him up onto their shoulders and began to carry them towards Leon's table.

"_**. . .Diamonds are a. . ."**_

"I've got some exciting news!" Sora tried, but he was a bit late now wasn't he? Cloud was already at his previous table.

"_**. . .girl's best friend."**_ Cloud sang his final note with a smile as he reaches the table, shaking his hips.

"I believe you were expecting me." Cloud purred out, his smile never wavering for a moment as he looked at the sitting Leon.

"Yes. Yes." Leon said breathlessly, dumbfounded.

"I'm afraid it's lady's choice." Cloud called out, turning to the crowd with a smirk before he points to Leon. The brunet's mouth simply dropped. Him? Cloud chose him? He didn't know what to do, even though Vincent clapped him on the back as he and the rest of the bohemians tried to speak encouraging words. Yet Leon remained motionless, speechless. And this didn't seem to please Cloud, who acted as if 

he were rejected. Sticking out his bottom lip Cloud whined, getting the crowd to say 'aww' as he looked out to them sadly. But upon turning back to Leon, his smile began to slowly work its way back.

"Cloud! Cloud! Cloud! Cloud!" The crowd began to cheer out, causing the blond to begin to move with their cheers; shaking his body from side to side as he made sounds similar to a Spanish singer working the crowd before her song. Before Leon knew it, those pink feathers were now in his face as Cloud shook his behind in front of him.

"I see you've already met my English friend." Sora said happily, finally reaching his table once more. Why did everyone have to be so tall and make it difficult for him to make it through the crowd.

"I'll take care of it, Sora." Cloud said calmly, before standing and turning to Leon. "Let's dance." Cloud purred to him once more before pulling him out onto the dance floor.

"Hit him with your most modern poem!" Sora called after Leon before sitting himself down at the table once more.

With twirls and shakes, Cloud was once more at home on the dance floor. Yet Leon trailed behind staring, overwhelmed by it all until two men gently push him towards Cloud. Right, he was supposed to be with Cloud.

'_**Feel the beat of the rhythm of the night,**__**  
**__**Dance until the morning light.'**_

"That went well." Satie stated as the Bohemians watched Leon out on the dance floor.

'_**Forget about the worries on your mind,**__  
__**'You can leave them all behind.'**_

"Incredible." The Doctor nodded.

'_**Feel the beat of the rhythm of the night,**__  
__**Dance until the morning light.'**_

"He has a gift with the women." Vincent added, brushing pieces of his short hair out of his face so he could get a closer look.

'_**Forget about the worries on your mind,**__  
__**You can leave them all behind.'**_

"I told you, he's a genius." Sora added, smiling in self satisfaction as they watched Leon attempt to dance with Cloud.

Leon..really had no idea what he was doing, and at first he was almost afraid to dance. There were so many..risqué moves. But Cloud merely smiled at him, trying to encourage him to really let loose. After a few more moments of awkwardness, Leon couldn't help but let go, give in, and dance with the blond.

"That duke certainly can dance!" Riku said, looking out from the backstage of the Moulin Rouge as he dressed himself once more. He couldn't see the man that clearly, but he knew Cloud wouldn't dance with anyone else.

"So wonderful of you to take an interest in our little show." Cloud stated, trying to make small talk with Leon.

"It sounds very exciting. I'd be delighted to be involved." Leon smiled back, trying to keep up with the dance moves. He was really starting to enjoy this.

"Really?" Cloud was a little surprised at the eagerness in which the Duke replied.

"Assuming you like what I do, of course." Leon couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious. What if Cloud didn't like his poetry?

"I'm sure I will." Cloud responded, taken a little bit off guard at first, but recovering with a smile quickly. They were starting to have two completely different conversations, and neither of them knew this.

Moving around like the rest of the men, Leon dipped his hat to the watching Bohemians, much to their delight, before he returned his attention to Cloud. Amazing how everyone could blend into one large dance number.

_**Here we are now. . .**_

"Toulouse thought we might be able to, um, do it in private." Leon said, he didn't know if he'd feel comfortable with being alone with Cloud; but he was certainly starting to like that idea.

_**Here we are now. . .**_

"Did he?" Cloud asked, the Duke certainly wasn't a subtle one now was he?

"Yes. You know, uh, a private poetry reading." Leon said, not catching what Cloud was thinking he meant at all.

_**. . .Entertain us. . .**_

"Ohh!" Cloud said in understanding, a smirk slowly returning to his face. This Duke was certainly a naughty one now wasn't he?

_**Here we are now. . .**_

"Mmm, a poetry reading. I love a little poetry after supper." Cloud purred out to Leon, giggling a bit at the end before he began to back away from Leon.

. . .**Entertain us!**  
**Here we are now, entertain us!  
We feel stupid…**

Placing his hands behind his head for a short moment, Cloud began to make his way toward Leon, kicking his legs high into the air with each step. All of the other girls began to mirror Cloud as well.

"Hang onto your hats!" Cloud called out with a smirk, but he knew all of the men would lose them. With one final kick Leon's hat, and the hats that belonged to rest of the men dancing with the Diamond Dogs, went flying into the air.

Scrambling like the rest of the men to get his hat, Leon missed Cloud slipping away towards his trapeze. But he wouldn't be unaware of the missing blond for long, because soon the male was lifted into the air once more by the device, his voice ringing out to call everyone's attention to himself.

"_**Diamonds! Diamonds!"**_

The men and Diamond Dogs joined hands in a circle as they watched the trapeze lift, swaying from side to side as Cloud ascended.

"_**Square cut or pear-shape, **_

_**These rocks won't lose their shape;"**_

Leon found it much easier than Sora to make it back to the table full of bohemians, and with an exhale of breath he didn't know he had been holding he sat down.

"Fantastic!" Sora beamed to him, But Leon couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Cloud as he sang.

"_**Diamonds are a girl's best..."**_

But as Cloud reached the final chords of the song, and the crowd beneath him rose their arms in anticipation, he suddenly gasped for breath. Spellbound, Leon continued to watch, unsure just what was happening. Gasping for air, Cloud just couldn't seem to get any to fill his lungs. Riku looked on in concern; this wasn't a part of the show, what was wrong with Cloud? The crowd simply threw their arms in the air for the big finale, none of them even suspecting that something was wrong.

But he couldn't catch his breath, he couldn't breathe no matter how hard he tried to inhale, and his lungs were burning. With one final intake in vain to try and fill them, everyone watched in horror as the Sparkling Diamond fell, unconscious, from the trapeze.

"NO!" Riku yelled, praying something or someone would stop the descent of Cloud. That fall could kill his Diamond!

And Cloud fell..into the arms of Chocolat, one of the many men who worked for Riku, and one of the few who was large enough to catch Cloud and not drop him. Sweat began to accumulate on Riku's forehead, but he was more than thankful for Chocolat catching Cloud. With small nods towards the side, he motioned for the male to carry off Cloud's limp form to the back where the dressing rooms were. Now was time to take control of the crowd and make sure none of them worried. Clapping his hands Riku begins to laugh a little, as if the whole thing was planned. The crowd responded, a little uncertain at first but soon they got into it, believing the silver haired male's lie.  


"Cloud! Cloud! Cloud! Cloud!" Riku called out to the crowd, getting them to join in the chanting of the blonde's name as well. He had to find some way to entertain them until Cloud returned.

* * *

But behind the scenes, things were looking much grimmer. Rushing, Chocolat carried Cloud backstage, laying him down on a couch as some of the Diamond Dogs looked on.

"Don't know if that Duke's going to get his money's worth tonight." Rinoa, one of the more well known girls spoke up, a smirk on her face.

"Don't be unkind, Rinoa." Another one of the girls replied, frowning at what Rinoa had just said.

* * *

Back out in the dance hall, the crowd continued shouting the blonde's name, Riku egging them on unaware until one of the stage managers returned, motioning to him that it was no good. With a nod Riku understood, he would have to get them to believe something else now. Motioning for the men to silence themselves, it didn't take long for Riku to come up with a story.

"You frightened him away! But I can see some lonely Moulin Rouge dancers out there who are looking for a partner or two. So if you can hunk-hunk, you can hunkadola with them!" Riku yelled out with a smirk, spinning the place card on the front if the orchestra podium once more so that it now read Hunkadola, causing the band to start up once more. Loudly the crowd cheered, most of the men forgetting about Cloud as they went for the women they could actually afford. But Leon couldn't keep himself from feeling confused..worried for Cloud.

* * *

"Out of my way. Quickly." Marie, the head stagehand said angrily, pushing past everyone to get to Cloud. With a frown she waved smelling salts under Cloud's nose, cause the blond to wake finally with a gasp, taking small breathes as his blue eyes looked around to find where he was.

"Oh, Marie... Oh, these silly costumes." Cloud spoke softly, adding a weak laugh at the end as he finally looked back to Marie.

"Just a little fainting spell." Marie nodded.

"All right you girls, get back out front and make those gents thirsty. Problems?" The gruff voice of the old male stage manager came as he pushed passed the girls to get to Marie and Cloud.

"Nothing for you to be worrying about." Marie answered calmly to him.

"Don't just stand around, then." He said, shooing off some of the others who had hung back to watch what was happening, before he too left.

Yet it would seem all was not over. As Marie sat with Cloud, the blond began to cough, prompting the older woman to hold a handkerchief to Cloud's mouth. Marie's eyes widened slightly, watching as blood began to come out from the blonde's mouth as he coughed. Fully closing his eyes as he turned his head away, Cloud rested, unknowing of the red substance he had left to stain Marie's handkerchief. With a grim look, Marie quickly folded it up, not wanting any others to see it, least of all Cloud.

* * *

Back in the dance hall, things were in full swing. Everything had returned to the way it was before, and no one seemed to be the least bit worried anymore. Cloud's song, dance, and even his falling from grace were like a simple dream now as the men went out after the Diamond Dogs.

Yet one man stood impatient, waiting out in the garden of the Moulin Rouge. "Find Riku. The boy's waiting for me." Sephiroth stated sharply to his man servant, he wanted his chance to meet Cloud, and he wanted it now!

* * *

LeeLee-san: And that's the end of chapter two! Well that took longer to write than I expected! It's a lot more lengthy than I thought it would be too. The view count's now up to 92 for chapter one, Yay! How this is what you all wanted! Oh if any of you were wondering, _Liebchen_ means sweetheart.

Riku: I get to be a pimp! Awesome!

Cloud: . . .Well at least I get to wear cute costumes..

LeeLee-san: What was that Cloud? You enjoy who you are now?

Cloud:. . . No, you pretty much made me a call girl.

LeeLee-san: Yeah, but hey you're the most wanted call girl. And you get to star in stuff. And hey it's not like you didn't dress in drag in your own game. At least here you get to wear really flashy costumes.

Cloud:. . .True. .

LeeLee-san: Now on to the reviews. I'm very pleased that I got four already, and the story's only been up for what..two days? You guys are awesome.  
**To Bigfan: **Well of course I'm going to continue, I just started it! And umm well, I guess this chapter answered your question on whether Cloud would cross-dress or not. It _is _the Moulin Rouge, couldn't have him dressed like a regular man. Besides, even the movie had guys in tutus.  
**To Merrik!: **I'm glad to hear that you think so! And yep, Riku as Zidler, he just seemed to fit that part to me. And yep, Vinnie's gonna sing and dance, he's got his younger Turk look going for him in this story with his short hair. But he's still very sexy. And of course Sephi's gonna want to rape Cloud later X3. Is this update soon enough for you? XD.  
**To Gisheisha: **Thanks, and here's the rest.  
**To ScarletDreams:** Umm yeah? XD  
Hope you guys enjoyed. And if you're reading this review please! I wanna hear from you guys. If you think this story could improve in some way let me know! If you just think this is a great story, let me know. It's nice to hear back from the readers X3.


	3. The Pitch

LeeLee-san: Hmm so it's taking a bit longer than expected with updates, but hey, you are getting them…sooo…that counts for something right?

Riku: I don't think it does…but to save myself from getting put into a very depressing story, I'll just say yes.. it counts.

Sasuke: /shakes head/ Pathetic. Honestly, you have no backbone at all do you Riku?

Riku: Not when it comes to her being in control of what happens to me and Sora..Maybe you should rethink anything you were about to say, wouldn't want anything to happen to you or Naruto..

Sasuke: . . .Whatever.

LeeLee-san: Hey what are you two talking about over there?

Riku & Sasuke: Nothing…

LeeLee-san: Oh well..someone do the disclaimer then!

Cloud: Lord knows she doesn't own Moulin Rouge! Or any of the characters created by Tetsuya Nomura, she certainly wouldn't be writing fanfics if she did.

"speech"  
_'thought'  
__**Singing  
**__Thought/Written Word/Main POV's Thoughts  
(__Dates/Locations)_

**The Pitch**

"That twinkle-toes Duke has really taken the bait, hun. With a patron like him, you could be the next Sarah Bernhardt." Marie gritted her teeth as she pulled the strings attached to Cloud's most recent wardrobe change; a form fitting red dress that just screamed all eyes on him, though it was more than likely he could easily get attention without the dress.

"Oh Marie, do you really think I could be like the great Sarah?" Cloud breathed out as his glowing blue orbs flickered to the picture of his idol in the mirror. All he needed was a chance to show his skills..Why should it matter if he was male, obviously it didn't matter to any of his clients, acting on a real stage should be no different. But with another tight pull at the strings on his dress Cloud returned to the task at hand, questioning himself for the millionth time why he wore corsets or any other form of binding.

"Why not? You've got the talent. You hook that Duke and you'll be lining up the great stages of Europe." All the dark thoughts Marie had had earlier vanished so easily as she watched the vibrant Cloud. The boy was almost glowing as he prepared himself for the duke, not looking even the slightest bit flushed. Perhaps earlier was just a fluke of a chance..

"I'm going to be a real actress Marie, a great actress. I'm going to fly away from here." Cloud could feel it..he could see it..His dream would come true..A smile then graced Cloud's face as he turned and cooed to the colorful little pet bird he kept caged in his dressing room "Oh yes, we can fly, fly away from here!" Yes..away from this place..All he needed was the duke to fall for his charm..

"Duckling is everything alright!?" Riku was beyond worried for his prized possession as he burst into Cloud's dressing room. If Cloud wasn't well, then all of the things they had planned would have been for nothing.

"Oh yes. Of course, Riku." Cloud smiled to reassure the silver haired one, knowing the male was genuinely worried for him.

"Oh thank goodness!" Riku sighed, now back to business. "You certainly weaved your magic with that duke on the dance floor." His diamond was perfect, flawless, and there was no way this wasn't going to work.

"How do I look?" Cloud purred out, thanking the heavens that Marie was finally done with tightening his dress. "Smoldering temptress?" The blond gave a little growl as he turned and grinned to Riku.

"Oh, my little strawberry! How can he possibly resist from gobbling you up?" Riku said gleefully in a sing-song like voice. "Everything's going so well!" He could fly to the moon with all of the excitement he felt at the moment. Cloud was going to save them all.

--

_**I'll meet you in the red room, **_

Leon was beyond nervous. The past few minutes of his life seemed almost unreal; had Cloud really come and invited him to the large elephant that stood in the garden of the Moulin Rouge? The blond had been a vision of beauty in that flowing red dress, and Leon had been barely able to speak. Thankfully he had gotten his wits about him enough to not make a fool of himself. Before he knew it, Cloud had brought him up into the elephant. Leon honestly had no idea that someone, let alone Cloud, could actually live in it…

_**Close the door and dim the lights.**_

The decorative paintings of not so clothed people hanging on the wall lead Leon to try and find other things to look at, as well as try to keep any form of a blush from growing on his face. This lead to him staring out from the large opening in the elephant into the garden, which was still busy with call girls and boys, and the men who would keep them warm that night. All Leon could do in his nervous state was twirl his top hat behind his back as he waited for Cloud. The blond had decided to 'slip into something a little bit more comfortable'; and far be it for Leon to say he shouldn't. He wanted Cloud to be as comfortable as possible…

_**I will be yours truly **_

"Unbelievable! Straight to the elephant!" Sora stated excitedly to the rest of the bohemians. It was amazing how their plan had worked out just right! There was no way that Cloud wasn't going to love Leon's poetry in his opinion. "Oh!" And then another idea popped into Sora's 

head, he was just full of good ideas today now wasn't he. With an imp-like grin Sora turned to the rest of his little group. "How about we get a closer view of our new writer and the star!" After a few light murmurs of agreement, the bohemians were off to scale the elephant!

_**If indeed the price is right.**_

"This is a wonderful place for a poetry reading, don't you think?" Cloud's silky voice washed over Leon, who was glad to no longer be alone in such an..interesting room. But as stormy gray-blue eyes fell upon the new outfit the Sparkling Diamond was wearing, he found himself speechless once again. He couldn't even help himself from letting his eyes run over the blond, who apparently found a black lingerie ensemble comfortable.

"Hmm? Poetic enough for you?" Cloud purred out, with the look on the 'duke's' face, Cloud just knew he had him.

"Yes." Leon was finally able to breathe out, still quite unable to take his eyes off of the barely clothed blond. How on earth was he going to be able to concentrate with Cloud wearing a black corset..lacy black underwear, equally lacy black stockings, and a see through gown that did nothing to cover Cloud up..

Cloud could feel a smirk coming on, knowing full well that he had all of Leon's attention, which would make seducing the handsome duke the easiest thing he'd have to do all night.

"A little, uh, supper? Maybe some champagne?" Cloud asked lightly, sauntering over to the small table with food and drink that had been set out for this little occasion.

"I'd rather just, um, get it over and done with." Leon breathed out rather hastily, unsure of himself for even being here. As soon as he was finished he could go and get rid of all the nerves building up inside of him.

"Oh." The blond had been in the process of pouring champagne into a glass when that statement had reached his ears, causing him to almost slam the bottle back into the ice. Apparently this duke wasn't one for small talk. Thankfully he had his back to the man; because Cloud was sure he had a not so happy look on his face. But being the wonderful actor that he was, he simply let out a soft sigh and got back into the role he was supposed to be playing, smoldering temptress. Lightly Cloud placed the glass he had just filled down on the small table before turning to face the duke.

"Very well." A light smirk played across Cloud's face before he began to make his way ever so slowly over towards the bed. "Then why don't you come down here?" The blond asked, trying to get Leon away from the opening in the elephant and into the bed.

" . . .And let's get it over and done with." Naughty blond would be an understatement for Cloud as he lay down in the bed, his light eyes never leaving Leon, daring the brunet to come and claim him; which could only help increase the nerves building inside of Leon.

"I-I prefer to do it standing." The brunet stuttered out, much to the surprise of the blond laying in the bed.

"Oh!" Well then, standing it was. Cloud didn't often get a request like that, but he wasn't going to say no. Funny, he would have never pegged the duke to be _that _way.

"You don't have to stand, I mean." Leon spoke almost shyly before Cloud had a chance to get to his feet. "It's sometimes that it - it's quite long, and I'd like you to be comfortable…It's quite modern what I do, and it may feel a little strange at first, but – but I think if you're open, then—then you might enjoy it." Ok now..this was a first, Cloud almost found himself speechless at the words coming out of the duke's mouth. Yet he retained his composure, not wanting to show the bit of shock he felt running through himself.

"I'm sure I will." An almost unsure smile graced Cloud's lips for a moment before he covered it up with a more believable one, wouldn't want the duke to think he was put off.

"Excuse me." Leon said turning from Cloud for a moment, trying to compose himself. He had managed to move a bit closer towards the table holding the champagne, but he wasn't too sure of how his nerves would hold up if he got closer to the bed..Especially not with how Cloud was looking at him..it was like the blond wanted to eat him..With a small exhale he was finally able to give it a go.

"The—the sky is—is...with the bluebirds..." Leon began, and this gave Cloud the go ahead to begin himself. A soft erotic sigh passed through Cloud's lips as he moved ever so seductively about on the bed…

Which only resulted in Leon turning away from Cloud once more in nervousness. Why on earth was the Cloud doing this? "I know. Come on, come on." Leon spoke to himself, trying to gain composure once more. "I think…" Yet the moment he turned to Cloud, the blond let out more of his sighs as well as a soft moan. Yep, Leon had to turn away quickly once more.

"There might be some shaking. Oh, riki-tiki-tiki-tiki." Leon muttered almost to himself as he began to bounce a bit. Ok he could do this! He could keep it together long enough to get something good out to Cloud right?

But Cloud wasn't exactly one of the more patient of people, and with the way that Leon was almost ignoring him in the bed just didn't sit right..Maybe the duke was just a bit too nervous to.. 'get it up?'

"Um, is everything all right?" Cloud asked lightly, moving to the edge of the bed.

"Um, I'm a little nervous. It's just sometimes it takes a little while for…" Leon's gaze trailed down to his hat, unfortunately the blond on the bed had thought it trailed elsewhere.

"Oh!" Cloud responded in understanding.

"…you know, inspiration to come." These two were on vastly different pages, and the words being spoken only seemed to make things worse for the pair. Or perhaps things only became worse for Leon..

"Oh, yes, yes, yes. Let Mummy help, hmm?" Cloud cooed out to Leon as he walked over, his light blue eyes set on Leon's prize. With the slightest of movements, Cloud's hands went down and grabbed Leon's crotch, causing the brunet to gasp in utter surprise.

"Does that inspire you?" Cloud questioned before throwing Leon onto the bed.

"Let's make love!" Cloud said almost softly before making his way to the bed. If the duke was a bit too nervous to start things off, then Cloud would have to take hold of the situation.

And poor Leon was utterly confused and caught off guard by all of this. "Make love?" Leon managed to get out before the blond climbed on top of him.

"You want to, don't you?" Cloud began to feel up Leon's chest.

"Well, I came to..." Leon started, but one of Cloud's soft hands had managed to cover his mouth before he could continue.

"No, tell the truth." Cloud breathed as he began to undo Leon's tie. "Can't you feel the poetry?"

"What?" Leon yelped out, growing more and more confused by the second.

Meanwhile the Bohemians had managed to not only get to the top of the Elephant, but had managed to lower Sora down to spy on the pair inside as well.

"Oh, come on. Feel it. Free the tiger!" Cloud yelled, letting out a few growls as he began to grind into Leon. Despite how hard he tried to hold them in, Leon couldn't stop the few moans that issued from his throat. This was Cloud's cue to start undoing Leon's pants, where he was met with a rather interesting surprise.

"Big boy!" Cloud whispered out to Leon, and he wasn't the only one to get an eye full.

"He's got a huge….talent!" Sora shouted to his little group, taken back a bit by the scene going on in Cloud's room.

"Yes, I need your poetry now!" Cloud demanded, almost pinning Leon down in his bed.

"Alright!" Leon managed to gasp out. Confusion ran through him, but he knew he'd have to get out from under Cloud if he was going to be able to give the blond any form of poetry. With a light push to throw Cloud a bit off balance, Leon took his chance and rolled off the bed, getting to his feet as soon as he could.

"It's a little bit funny." His voice squeaked out, now it was Cloud's turn to be confused.

"What?" Cloud could hardly hide his confusion as he tried to compose himself on the bed.

"This f-feeling in-inside. I'm not one of those who can—who can easily hide. Is this—is this okay, is this what you want?" Leon stuttered, looking to Cloud for reassurance.

"Ohh, poetry, yes." Cloud breathed out. Hmm now he knew what the duke was doing! "Yes. Yes, this is what I want, naughty words! Oh!" The blond purred before he let out more moans, rocking back and forth on the bed.

"I—I don't have much money, but. . ." As much as Leon tried to look away, he just couldn't..But what on earth could Cloud be doing?

"Oh! Naughty!" Cloud continued to breathe out lightly, his hands trailing down to touch himself.

". . .but boy if I did. . ." He was beginning to run out of things to say as he watched Cloud continue to touch himself..Were his words really _that_ moving? And why couldn't he turn away from the blond for more than a few seconds?

"Oh, yes!" This was nothing for Cloud, pretending to have an orgasm was a common thing in this line of work…

". . .I'd buy a big house where we both—both could live." Confusion just seemed to pass back and forth between the pair as they continued to grow further and further away from the same subject. Leon just couldn't understand why he couldn't take his eyes off of Cloud!

"Oh, I love them! Oh, it's so good!"

"If I were a sculptor--" Leon began, but found himself quickly cut off by the blond.

"Wonderful!" Cloud moaned before rolling off of the bed and crawling across the floor.

". . .but then again, no." Leon retracted, unsure of himself.

"Wonderful." Cloud whispered out, crawling on top of a fur blanket on his floor.

"Or a man who makes potions at a traveling show." Leon stated, finally finding something to go off of in his mind.

"Oh don't! Don't!" Cloud gripped the blanket a bit before he rolled on it, trying to make it seem that he _needed_ Leon's words. But Leon could only stand in shock for a moment, unsure if Cloud wanted him to continue, and just what would he say if the blond wanted him to go on.

"No, no, no. Don't stop!" Cloud stopped moving just long enough to let Leon know that he wanted him to continue, before the blond resumed rolling about the blanket.

"I-I know it's not much. . ." Leon stuttered out.

"Give me more! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh!" Leon was driving Cloud wild, or so the blond made it seem as he slammed the floor lightly with each word, just begging for more from Leon.

". . .But it's the best I can do." Leon was far beyond confused by this point, and he couldn't help the weird look he was giving the blond. Was Cloud always this.._excited_ when he heard poetry?

"Oh, naughty! Don't stop! Yes! Yes! Yes!" The blond had now wrapped the blanket around himself and began rolling around on the floor, his voice getting louder with each word. Leon didn't know how much more of this he could endure. Finally tearing his gaze away from Cloud, Leon found himself facing the opening in the elephant once more.

"_**My gift is my song. . ."**_

With that single line Leon had managed to capture the attention of the Bohemians who had been drinking on top of the elephant, as well as effectively silence and capture the attention of the blond on the floor. Cloud was speechless as he looked to Leon. That voice, Cloud was certain, could light all of Paris in its wake. He could hardly believe that that had come from the duke.

"_**. . .and this one's for you." **_

Leon turned to look at Cloud once more, his voice growing softer as he sang to the him.

"_**And you can tell everybody that this is your song."**_

He meant every word he sang to Cloud, and for some reason, this didn't scare Leon..Ok so maybe it did a little, but he continued anyway..He finally had Cloud really listening to him. Cloud…just had to make sure his mouth wasn't hanging open…

"_**It may be quite simple, but now that it's done, **_

_**I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, **_

_**That I put down in words, **_

_**How wonderful life is, now you're in the world." **_

Leon's confidence was finally returning, and by the time he reached those last few words, a smile had begun to form on his face. Turning away from Cloud, he began to make his way closer towards the opening in the front of the Elephant. Cloud, who found himself more and more drawn in by Leon's voice, was soon standing to follow after the brunet.

"_**Sat on the roof and I kicked off the moss, **_

_**Well some of these verses, well, they, they got me quite cross. **_

_**But the sun's been kind while I wrote this song;" **_

Cloud could feel his heart fluttering in his chest as he listened to Leon sing, and it skipped a beat when Leon turned to look at him. Slowly they both began to walk towards each other, their eyes locking.

"_**It's for people like you that keep it turned on."**_

Cloud couldn't help the smile that he felt tugging at the corner of his lips at Leon's choice of words, and well, Leon happened to be grinning like a fool as well. With the slightest of turns they both made their way towards the heart shaped opening in the front of the elephant.

"_**So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do, **_

_**You see I've forgotten if they're green or if they're blue."**_

Ok, this was the first time that Cloud had ever felt like this. His heart was still fluttering in his chest, and he was almost weak in the knees, and all the duke was doing was singing! For the second time Cloud found his heart skipping a beat when Leon's hand gently took his own, causing a smile to grow softly on Cloud's lips.

"_**Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean, **_

_**Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen." **_

It was almost like Cloud and Leon had been dancing together for years; because before either of the pair could stop and think over what they were doing, they were spinning around in each other's arms. Holding onto Cloud's hand, Leon gave the blond one more spin around before they were off. Cloud felt like he was dancing high up in the night sky with the way Leon was making him feel; and with the love high they were receiving from each other, for a moment it seemed like they really were dancing up in the night sky.

And even though silver rain began to fall in their world of momentary love high, they just couldn't stop smiling at each other. Soon they were standing atop a roof, an umbrella sat to the side, waiting to be used by the pair.

"_**And you can tell everybody that this is your song."**_

Taking the umbrella, Leon found himself dancing across the sky and leaping up onto the Eiffel Tower, tossing the umbrella to one side.

"_**It may be quite simple, but now that it's done. . ."**_

Tossing the umbrella Leon hopped down from the tower and began to walk towards Cloud, who had begun to spin his way towards Leon, effectively swirling clouds around himself with his dress. Taking Cloud's hands in his own, he began to sing to the blond once more.

"_**I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, **_

_**That I put down in words,**_

_**How wonderful life is, now you're in the world."**_

Leon lifted up Cloud after spinning the blond into his arms. He continued to hold the final note, even as their imaginary world had faded and returned to the inside of the elephant they had really been dancing in.

"Looks like he got the job!" Sora shouted excitedly to the rest of his group, there was no way Cloud could say no after all of that!

Leon continued to spin around with the blond in his arms until he reached the end of his final note, then with a smile he dipped Cloud.

"Oh…I can't believe it. I'm in love. I'm in love with a young, handsome, talented duke." Cloud whispered ever so softly, almost in disbelief. He knew it had to be true, he'd never felt like this before..this feeling..it had to be love! Neither of them could stop smiling at each other for more than a few seconds..

"Duke?" Leon asked in a whisper, unsure of Cloud's choice of words.

"Not that the title's important, of course." Cloud purred out, with a slight laugh at the end. Wrapping his arms around Leon's neck, Cloud leaned back and forth in pure ecstasy.

"I'm not a duke." Unfortunately, with smiles on their faces, the real world was about to come crashing down on the both of them.

"Not a duke?" Cloud tilted his head, why on earth would he say something like that?

"I'm a writer."Cloud had been just about to lean in to give Leon a kiss, when the words the brunet had spoken dawned on him.

"A writer?" Cloud repeated in disbelief, pulling back from the potential kiss.

"Yes, a writer." Leon replied with a smile, he didn't have the slightest of clues that what he had just said would leave Cloud in a not so happy state.

"No!" This was all wrong, and without a second to lose, Cloud began to stand up and pull himself away from Leon. If..if this wasn't the duke..then..

"Sora? - " Leon began, but he found himself effectively cut off but the blond for the second time that night.

"Sora? Oh no, you're not another one of Sora's oh-so-talented, charmingly bohemian, tragically impoverished protégés?" Cloud said, not wanting to believe any of this, hoping, praying that this man before him really was the duke.

"You might say that, yes." With a slight laugh and a grin Leon nodded, he still didn't have any idea what this all meant to Cloud.

"Oh no! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him!" Cloud growled out.

"I think there might be a small hitch." Sora swallowed the lump forming in his throat as he looked up to the rest of his little group. Cloud really didn't look to happy..

Quickly the blond began to cross the room towards the door, with Leon following after him, finding himself confused once more. Cloud needed to get the imposter duke out of his room this very moment.

"Sora told me…" Leon began, unsure of just what was going on.

"What about the duke?"Cloud asked worriedly, more to himself than to Leon, as he opened the door. Unfortunately on the other side of the door stood not only Riku, but the_ real_ duke as well.

"My dear Duke…" Riku said a bit nervously, his eyes only on the duke.

Quickly Cloud shut the door, a high pitched squeak issuing from him as he looked to Leon wide eyed. "The Duke!" Cloud's voice remained high pitched as he tried to think of what to do.

"The Duke?" Leon questioned. Just who was this duke that Cloud kept stressing about?

"Hide! Out the back!" Cloud screeched, rushing towards Leon to show him out the other side. He wasn't about to waste any time answering the questions of this imposter duke. But luck just wasn't on his side, because Riku had managed to open the door just as Cloud reached Leon. To avoid being seen Leon quickly ducked behind Cloud, who held up his arms to try and block all he could with his gown. Ok, now Leon was starting to get worried about the situation.

"My dear, are you decent for the Duke?" Riku asked, moving a bit faster than normal into Cloud's room. Quickly Cloud spun around to face the pair, unsure of just what to say because the truth was out of the question.

"Where were you?" Riku asked, curious to the answer, and hoping that Cloud was going to come up with something good the please the duke. Meanwhile Leon had begun to slowly lean to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of the 'all important duke'; but Cloud would have none of this. With a quick push from Cloud's legs to his face, Leon got the picture and began to move towards the table that held the champagne.

"I—uh, I was waiting." Cloud managed to get out, moving along with Leon to make sure that he didn't get seen.

"Dearest Duke, allow me to introduce Monsieur Cloud." Riku said, turning attention to the fellow silver haired man in the room. He'd have to question Cloud later about just what happened. At the moment, they had more important things to deal with.

"Monsieur, how kind of you to take time out of your busy schedule to visit." Cloud quickly returned to his earlier act of temptress. Once again Leon began to try his luck and attempted to peer over the small table, but a swift look from Cloud sent Leon into hiding again.

"The pleasure, I fear, will be entirely mine, my dear." Like a predator Sephiroth slipped into the room toward Cloud, a grin moving onto his face as he took the blonde's hand.

"I'll leave you two squirrels to get better acquainted. Ta-ta." Riku said before slipping out of the room. He trusted Cloud to take care of business.

Sephiroth was all but too happy to be alone with Cloud, and started it all off with a kiss to the hand he was holding.

"A kiss on the hand may be quite continental." The six foot tall man smirked.

"But diamonds are a girl's best friend." Cloud gave a soft amused laugh, before taking the duke's hat and cane and sitting on the bed. Now was Leon's chance! With Cloud gone he could peer around the table without being glared at.

"Well, after tonight's pretty exertions on the stage, you must surely be in need of refreshment, my dear." Sephiroth said, turning to get the champagne.

Cursing inwardly, Leon dived to the ground behind the table, trying his best not to be seen. Meanwhile Cloud was practically leaping from his bed and onto his feet, trying his best to distract the duke so he wouldn't see Leon.

"DON'T!... you just love the view, hmm?" Cloud said, motioning towards the opening in the elephant.

"Charming." A little caught off guard by the question and the way it was asked, Sephiroth simply gave Cloud an amused smile. And as if the question was never asked, he returned his attention back to getting champagne.

"OH! I feel like dancing!" Cloud said quickly, moving back and forth as he twirled his gown around. This was a more effective way to grab Sephiroth's attention, as he stopped to watch Cloud, thrown off by the blonde's actions. Cloud's little act also managed to gain the attention of Leon, who poked his head up from behind the table to see just what was going on.

"You-You see, my dear, I should like a glass of Champagne." Sephiroth blinked, composing himself enough to once again turn his attention towards the table, finally grabbing the champagne bottle. Thankfully Leon was able to duck down just in time to not be seen.

"NO! It's…" Cloud was beginning to run out of ideas here…And Sephiroth was beginning to look annoyed at Cloud's antics. But inspiration suddenly hit the blond, and he knew exactly what to do..well mostly..

"It's a little bit funny." Cloud breathed out, trying to remember the words spoken to him earlier.

"What is?" Sephiroth questioned, not quite following where the blond was going with this. Leon on the other hand knew exactly where this was coming from, and for a moment he could only sit up from behind the table and look at Cloud with his mouth hanging open. Was the blond really about to use his words? But he decided now wasn't the time to get upset…At least going along with Cloud could lead to him getting out of this situation without harm.

"This. . ." And with the way Cloud was looking at him for help, Leon couldn't help but go along with it….Now to not get caught.

"Feeling." He whispered, amazed the duke didn't hear him.

". . .feeling. . ." Cloud repeated, his eyes darting to the duke before looking back to Leon for the next word.

"Inside." Leon whispered, motioning towards himself.

". . .inside." Cloud said softly, returning his attention to Sephiroth for another few moments.

" I'm not one of those." Leon began, hoping Cloud could fill in most of the sentence.

"I'm not one of those who can easily. . ." Cloud looked to Leon, a little confused at the motions the brunet was making.

"Hide." Leon then began to make the gestures one would use to play pick-a-boo.

". . .hide!" Cloud exclaimed, finally understanding what Leon was trying to say. But as Leon continued to gesture to Cloud, he managed to knock over a candle, which made a rather loud crash onto the table. Once again Leon dived down behind the table, just as Sephiroth turned to see what fell over. Desperately Cloud threw himself at the duke's feet, wrapping his arms around the man's legs to get his attention.

"I don't have much money, but oh, if I did, oh, I'd buy a big house where we both could live." Cloud was practically snuggling into the duke's legs. He made sure that Sephiroth was well distracted before he parted the man's legs and motioned for Leon to go out of the door, closing the duke's legs after he was finished.

"_**I hope you don't mind," **_

Cloud found himself using Leon's words for the second time that night.

"_**I hope you don't mind,"**_

Continuing to sing, Cloud began to stand up in front of the duke, while Leon stood up behind him.

"_**That I put down in words, **_

_**How wonderful life is, **_

_**now you're in the world."**_

Light blue eyes found themselves looking to Leon as he reached the last line. So close Leon was to getting out of the door…

"My dear, that's very beautiful." Sephiroth whispered, mesmerized by the blond standing before him.

"It's from 'Spectacular Spectacular'. Suddenly with you here, I finally understood the true meaning of those words: 'How wonderful life is, now you're in the world.'" Cloud whispered, his eyes trailing over to Leon once more to watch the brunet's escape. Unfortunately, just as Leon opened the door, he found himself greeted with the sight of Sephiroth's man servant standing out in the hallway.

"And what meaning is that, my dear?" Sephiroth whispered, hanging on Cloud's every word.

Quickly Leon shut the door and made his best attempt to hide in the corner, certain he'd be caught from the lack of cover.

"No! No! Duke! Don't you toy with my emotions!" Cloud yelled out, throwing himself on the bed to keep Sephiroth's attention. "You—you must know the effect you have on men and women." Cloud cried out to a rather smug looking duke. Reaching out Cloud pulled Sephiroth to himself.

"Let's make love! You want to, don't you?" Cloud growled, pulling the duke down on top of himself.

"Make love?" Sephiroth asked uncertainly as Cloud writhed around beneath him, kissing him at points. Unknowingly to the duke, Cloud also made motions for Leon to sneak out the back way of the elephant behind his back. Quickly Leon followed the orders given to him.

"Oh, I knew you felt the same way. Oh! Oh! Sephiroth!" Cloud moaned as if the Sephiroth were giving him so much pleasure, despite the fact that the silver haired man was mainly focusing on regaining his balance. Yet just as Leon made it across the room, he couldn't help but stop and look back at Cloud and frown at what the blonde was doing.

"Get out of here or he'll kill you!" Cloud whispered harshly to Leon, knowing the duke was too preoccupied to hear what he had just said; but this only caused Leon to give Cloud a more pleading look.

"Yes, you're right. We should wait until opening night." Cloud responded finally, complying with Leon's silent pleading.

Content with his results, Leon gave Cloud a smile and a small nod before finally making his way behind a screen(1) in the elephants head.

"Wait? Wait?" Sephiroth asked not sure if he had heard Cloud correctly, but with the way the courtesan was pushing him away, he was beginning to fear he had heard correctly.

"There's a power in you that scares me. You should go." Cloud whispered out to the duke before standing and leading the duke out with light pushes to him.

"I just got here." Sephiroth jumped for words, completely confused at how Cloud could jump so quickly from one thing to another.

"Yes, but we'll see each other every day during rehearsal. We—we must wait, we must wait until opening night. Get out." With one final push Sephiroth was out of the door, and before he could get any other word in edgewise with Cloud, the blond had shut the door. Seeing as it was now safe, Leon reappeared from behind the screen, only to be met with a very upset Cloud marching towards him.

"Do you have any idea— any idea, what would have happened if you were found? Oh..." Cloud said breathlessly; finding it difficult to breathe for the second time that day. "And..Oh.." Cloud tried to continue, but it was too much, his lungs were on fire! And before Leon could react Cloud fainted, falling limply into his arms.

"Oh! Oh, my God! Cloud?" Unsure of just what to do, Leon shook Cloud trying to wake him, but it would seem it would take more than that to wake the passed out blond.

"Let's have a little peek-a-boo." In his office not too far away, Riku wanted to check in on his little dove and their soon to be financier, just to make sure things were going their way. Turning his telescope, it wasn't hard to find an open spot to peak into the elephant. A smirk 

soon found its way onto the pale man's face as the sight of a man in a tuxedo thrusting with Cloud greats him.

"Oh, right on target." There wasn't a doubt in his mind that the tuxedoed man was the duke hitting it off with Cloud.

Back in the elephant, Leon did his best not to freak out while trying to figure out what to do with Cloud. After lifting Cloud into his arms a bit higher, stormy blue eyes ran over the room before falling on the bed.

"Right. I'll just put him in bed. I'll put you in bed." Leon spoke to himself nervously before making his way over to the bed with Cloud.

By this time, Sora and the Bohemians had managed to sneak into the elephant through it's opening in the front, and were now peering around a screen at Leon and his endeavors.

With one final move Leon had managed to get Cloud onto the bed, but with all of his momentum he couldn't stop himself from falling into the bed on top of the blond. And just for the icing on Leon's cake, the duke managed to walk in at that very second.

"I forgot my hat." Sephiroth muttered, re-entering the room, his cold eyes quickly falling on the pair in the bed. "Foul play?"

"She...I…" Leon was at a loss for words, lucky for him Cloud began to come around at that moment.

"Oh, Duke..." Cloud breathed out, trying to gather his wits about himself.

"It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside." Sephiroth hissed out, glaring swords at the man who was on top of _his_ Sparkling Diamond.

"Beautifully spoken, Duke. Yes, let me introduce you to the writer." Cloud said somewhat calmly as he placed his hands on Leon's cheeks and turned the brunet's face to Sephiroth.

"The writer?" Sephiroth replied indignantly.

"Yes. Oh yes. We were— we were rehearsing." Cloud nodded, moving himself from under Leon to stand up, Leon following suit.

"Ha ha-ha." Sephiroth mock laughed before slamming the door behind him and stalking further into the room. "You expect me to believe that, scantily clad, in the arms of another man, in the middle of the night, inside an elephant, you were rehearsing?" Sephiroth snarled, not believe what Cloud had said for a minute.

Luckily, right at that moment, the Bohemians who had been watching the whole thing, burst in.

"How's the rehearsal going? Shall we take it from the top, my queen?" Cloud and Leon could only turn in surprise, Sephiroth in shock, as Sora shuffled into the room with the rest of his little group.

"I hope the piano's in tune." Satie said, making his way over towards the instrument and pressing down a few keys.

"Sorry, we got held up." Vincent said gruffly, throwing off his jacket dramatically.

"Can I offer you a drink?" The doctor asked Sephiroth, obviously already well past his own drinking limit.

In his office, Riku looked through his telescope once again to check the progress of his dearest Cloud, and much to his shock, found himself met with the sight of the large group now in the elephant.

"Oh my goodness!" Without a second to spare, Riku was off to get a handle on the situation.

Meanwhile in the elephant, Cloud had finally fully composed himself.

"When I spoke those words to you before, you—you filled me with such inspiration. Yes, I realized how much work we had to do before tomorrow, so I called everyone together for an emergency rehearsal." Cloud nodded, speaking the lie that had sounded best in his mind.

"If you're rehearsing, where's Riku?" Sephiroth said sharply, not about to believe what was being said so quickly.

"We didn't bother Riku..." Cloud laughed lightly.

But just then, Riku burst through the door, instantly apologizing. "My dear Duke, I'm most terribly sorry."

"Riku! You made it! It's all right, the duke knows all about the emergency rehearsal." Cloud emphasized his words, moving in front of Riku to get his point across as well as stop the man from going any further.

"Emergency rehearsal?" Riku went along, yet continued to question the blond before him.

"Mmm, to incorporate the duke's artistic idea." Cloud nodded, turning to face Sephiroth with Riku.

"Yes, well I'm sure Audrey will be only too delighted..." Riku said coolly; completely unaware of what had gone on prior to this little meeting.

"Audrey's left." Sora quickly cut off Riku nervously.

"He's what?" Riku would have hissed these words had Sephiroth not been there; instead he had to settle for a more startled reaction.

"Riku, the cat's out of the bag. Yes, the duke's already a big fan of our new writer's work. That's why he's so keen to invest." Cloud quickly covered, doing his best to keep Riku calm.

"Invest? Invest! Oh yes, well, invest! You can hardly blame me for trying to hide, uh..." Riku began finding it a bit difficult to continue without knowing the new writers name.

"Leon." Leon whispered.

"Leon." Sora repeated in a more audible tone.

"..Leon away." Riku said, finally finishing his statement.

"I'm way ahead of you, Riku." Sephiroth stated indignantly, his harsh eyes falling on the other silver haired man in the room. Leon on the other hand couldn't help but grin to Sora who grined back. It was official, Leon got the job!

"My dear duke, why don't you and I go to my office to peruse the paperwork." Riku suggested, trying hard to get Sephiroth to come along with him. Unfortunately, the duke would have none of this.

"What's the story?" He questioned.

"The story?" Riku repeated, not sure of the answer himself.

"Well, if I'm to invest, I'll need to know the story." Sephiroth wasn't about to give any of them an inch. Worried, Cloud looked to Riku, who honestly had no idea what to say to that.

"Ah yes. Well, the story's about...Sora?" Riku quickly changed over to Sora, causing all of the eyes in the room to turn to the short spiky haired brunet.

"Well, the story—the story's about…well, it's about um…" Sora said nervously, how in the heck did Riku expect him to have any kind of idea what the story was about?!

"It's about love!" Leon chimed in with a grin on his face, all eyes quickly falling on him.

"Love?" Sephiroth sneered as he looked to the writer.

"It's about love overcoming all obstacles." Leon looked meaningfully to Cloud as he spoke these words, and for a moment Cloud didn't know how to react to the earnestness in Leon's eyes.

"And it's set in Switzerland!" Sora shouted excitedly, effectively ending the moment between the pair, and causing puzzled looks to be shot around.

"Switzerland?" Sephiroth questioned Riku, not too confident in the choice of location.

"Exotic Switzerland!" Riku quickly recovered, trying to appease the duke.

" India. India! It's set in India." Leon yelled after his eyes fell on the statue of Ganesh(2).

"And there's a courtesan, the most beautiful courtesan in all the world." Leon softened his voice as he began to walk towards Cloud, his eyes not leaving the blond as he spoke.

"But his kingdom's invaded by an _evil_ maharajah." Leon glowered, snapping his attention to the duke momentarily.

"Now, in order to save his kingdom, he has to seduce the evil maharajah, but, on the night of the seduction, he mistakes a penniless po-" Leon paused, realizing he'd better not give too much away, before his eyes fall on a sitar.

"A penniless— a penniless sitar player. . ." Quickly Leon picked up the sitar.

". . .for the evil maharajah, and he falls in love with him!" Leon soon turned back to Cloud, with a pleading look, praying the blond would believe him. "He wasn't trying to trick him or anything, but he was dressed as a maharajah because— because he's appearing in a play."

"I will play the penniless tango-dancing sitar player. He will sing like an angel, but dance like the devil!" Vincent stated, snatching the sitar away from Leon.

"Yes. Yes, all right. And— and what happens next?" Sephiroth questioned, finally believing what they were say.

"Well, the penniless sitar player and the courtesan, they have to hide their love from the evil maharajah." Leon replied, really getting into the story.

"The penniless sitar player's sitar is magical. It can only speak the truth." Satie quickly joined in, adding imagination to the story.

"And— and I will play the magical sitar!" Sora beamed, taking the sitar away from Vincent and turned to Cloud imitating the sound of a sitar.

"You are beautiful. . ." He then turned to Riku, imitating the sound once more.

". . .you are ugly. . ." Sora stated, obviously letting out some frustration he held towards the taller male before he turned his attentions towards the duke.

". . .and you are…" But before Sora could any other words out, the rest of the group claps their hands over Sora's mouth.

"Yes, yes, yes. And he gives the game away, eh?" Sephiroth smirked at the end, catching on to where they were going with the story.

"Yes!" The group replied excitedly, as if that were just how they planned it.

"Tell him about the can-can!" Riku said excitedly to Leon.

"The— the— the tantric can-can. It's…" Leon began, but this apparently was too slow for Riku, because he quickly pushed Leon out of his way to address the duke.

"It's an erotic spectacular scene that captures the thrusting, violent, vibrant, wild bohemian spirit that this whole production embodies, Duke." Riku grew closer with each verb he spoke, emphasizing his words to make sure Sephiroth understood all he said.

"What do you mean by that?" Sephiroth questioned, trying to follow all that Riku had just said to him.

"I mean the show will be a magnificent, opulent, tremendous, stupendous, gargantuan bedazzlement, a sensual ravishment. It will be..." Riku began, turning and gesturing, the small group behind him doing the same as Satie does a glissando on the piano.

"_**Spectacular Spectacular! **_

_**No words in the vernacular"**_

Riku sang, spinning from one side of the duke to the other.

"_**Can describe this great event."**_

Quickly Riku spun back around to the other side of the duke, it was a wonder he wasn't dizzy at the moment.

"_**You'll be dumb with wonderment. **_

_**Returns are fixed at ten percent— **_

_**You must agree, that's excellent**_**."**

Riku sang the last part as an almost offhand comment to the duke, this time walking around behind Sephiroth before walking backwards, away from the duke.

"_**And on top of your fee. . ."**_

The owner of the Moulin Rouge found himself backing into the arms of the rest of the group, who joined in, save Satie who continued to play the piano.

"**. **_**. .you'll be involved artistically."**_

What would result next would be the most energetic and together song and dance a group could come up with together without ever working on it before.

"_**So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer! **_

_**So delighting it will run for fifty years! **_

_**So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer!"**_

The group began to bounce as they moved forward towards Sephiroth; who in a state of alarm backs up and ends up sitting in a chair to watch them.

"_**So delighting it will run for fifty years!"**_

"_**Elephants!"**_

Sora sang, making a trunk shape with his arms.

"_**Bohemians!"**_

The doctor sang, making a peace sign with his finger while holding a bong in his other hand. Just where the bong came from would likely be questioned later if anyone remembered.

"_**Indians"**_

Riku sang, mimicking an Indian dance.

"_**And courtesans!"**_

Cloud sang, striking a pose.

"_**Acrobats!"**_

Satie sang out while swinging on a chandelier.

"_**And juggling bears!"**_

Vincent sang out, wearing the fur blanket from earlier and juggling some apples Leon tossed to him.

"_**Exotic girls"**_

Sora sang with a curtain draped around him.

"_**Fire-eaters!"**_

The group sang together while the doctor blew fire using a candle.

"_**Muscle-men, contortionists! Intrigue, danger...**_

They all moved together as one, making motions for each word.

"_**And romance!"**_

Sora sang out alone as everyone else brought hands to their hearts.

"_**Electric lights! Machinery!"**_

Everyone sang excitedly, before joining hands.

"_**All run with electricity!"**_

Sora finished while everyone began to shake to emphasize the word electricity.

"_**So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer! **_

_**So delighting, it will run for fifty years!"**_

They all quickly danced towards the duke, circling around the man sitting in the chair.

"_**So exciting the audience will stomp and cheer!"**_

They all dance backwards away from Sephiroth, before getting on their knees.

"_**So delighting it will run for fifty years!"**_

Soon they began to march on their knees as they sang.

"_**Spectacular Spectacular, **_

_**No words in the vernacular **_

_**Can describe this great event!**_

_**You'll be dumb with wonderment" **_

With their last line they all pointed to the duke before quickly grabbing various items and going into a more Indian-like song.

"_**The hills are alive with the sound of music!"**_

Now they were jumping up and down!

"_**So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer! **_

_**So delighting, it will run for fifty years!"**_

A startled Sephiroth soon found himself being lifted up in his chair by the frenzied group.

__

"_**So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer! **_

_**So delighting, it will run for fifty years!"**_

After they spun the duke around in the chair, they quickly set him down before striking a final pose, Cloud lying across the front of the group.

"Yes, but what happens in the end?" Sephiroth asked, quite curious to what happens, especially with the way they were all so excited about it.

Of course, none of them had exactly thought out the ending to the play. They all looked to one another; jump up and run round grabbing props, before disappearing behind curtains that had been let down. With a smile Sora set a lamp in front of the curtains before being sucked back by the rest of the group. Seconds later Leon reappeared before the curtains, clearing his throat to let Satie know he could turn off the lights, leaving the lamps in front of the 'stage' the only things lit. The curtains soon began to open as Leon stepped to the side revealing Vincent, in a makeshift turban, and Cloud, with fans in his hair and a jeweled headband, in an embrace.

"_**The courtesan and sitar-man **_

_**Are pulled apart by an evil plan."**_

The doctor, in a black cloak, then followed Leon's words and separated Cloud and Vincent.

"_**But in the end he hears his song."**_

Cloud sang out, growing closer to Vincent on stage, but soon Leon's voice rang out once more.

"_**And their love is just too strong."**_

He sang softly to Cloud, who couldn't help but let his eyes wander to Leon. Leon, in turn, wiggled his eyebrows just a little bit at Cloud, grinning ear to ear. But it would seem he wasn't the only one vying for Cloud's attention.

"_**It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside."**_

Sephiroth managed to get out..he wasn't exactly the best of singers; and for a moment they all simply stared at the duke, before they regained themselves.

"_**So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer!**_

_**So delighting, it will run for fifty years!"**_

Leon, Cloud and Vincent momentarily formed a small kick line while Riku, Sora, the Doctor, and Satie did a scene chance. The moment the set was ready, Leon moved off to the side while Cloud and Vincent returned to their places onstage.

"_**The Sitar player's secret song **_

_**Helps them flee the evil one."**_

Cloud and Vincent crouched beneath a screen while a toy maharajah and horse galloped across the top of it.

"_**Though the tyrant rants and rails,**_

_**It is all to no avail."**_

Satie quickly pushed the screen off, revealing a menacing looking Riku. Cloud and Vincent cowered in the presence of Riku, who was wearing a makeshift turban as well.

"I am the evil maharajah! You will not escape!" Riku shouted, really getting into his role, which only seemed to amuse Sephiroth even more as he watched the rest of the group cower at Riku's feet.

"Oh, Riku, no-one could play him like you could!" Cloud exclaimed sitting up.

"No-one's going to." Riku said matter-of-factly. Oh yes, this was his role!

"_**So exciting, we'll make them laugh, we'll make them cry!"**_

They sang atop the piano, before getting off and making a line in front of Sephiroth.

"_**So delighting..."**_

"And in the end should someone die?" Sephiroth added in, really getting into their performance. He was even beginning to smile a bit. Yet no-one knew exactly how to answer his question, so they all simply when back to the song and dance.

"_**So exciting the audience will stomp and cheer!"**_

They all danced backwards one more time, before they ran towards the duke in pairs, then splitting off, they ran round to set up for the final pose.

"_**So delighting it will run for fifty years!"**_

With a flourish the song ended. Sephiroth found himself staring at the elaborate tableaux in front of him: all of them were in various poses showing off their roles in the production; and Sora somehow ended up on his man servant's shoulders.

"Generally, I like it." With a grin and a nod, the duke gave his approval; and with a cheer they all ran towards him to celebrate.

--

_Zidler had an investor. And the bohemians had a show._

It seemed in no time a party was in full swing at Sora's studio, while the small spiky haired brunet sat on the roof waving a bottle of absinthe.

"It's the end of the century! The bohemian revolution is here!" Sora's voice rang out excitedly, and somewhat drunkenly.

_**You won't fool the children of the revolution,**_

_**No, you won't fool the children of the revolution, no, no.**_

Inside the studio, the Bohemians, the Diamond Dogs, and many of the others from the Moulin Rouge where having the celebration of the century. And some members of the party were interested in things other than alcohol..

"Beautiful woman. I love sex." Vincent could be heard if one listened hard enough over the blaring music.

_While the celebration party raged upstairs, I tried to write. _

Alone Leon sat in his window, gazing out towards the elephant in the garden.

_But all I could think about was him._

"_**How wonderful life is..."**_

…_Was he thinking about me? _

"_**...now you're in the world.."**_

* * *

LeeLee-san: And thus chapter three is finished! Hmm I'm not quite sure if I'm completely satisfied with it, but I am content with it. Oh and before I forget:

(1) according to the script that' what their called, so lacking a better word, I used that one.

(2) Ganesh: One of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles , patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom.

Hmm this chapter might get rewritten when I'm less tired…Seriously this chapter was mostly written between 11pm and 4am. I had to laugh at some of the things I put in here, and I'm sure even after that read over there are still some mistakes..let me know if you catch any! Oh! And happy birthday Cloud!

Cloud: XD it is indeed, I got to grab Leon's crotch!

Riku: Hmm I sound like Cloud's just my meal ticket.

Cloud: Yeah you do, but it's ok..I know you secretly care…sometimes..

Riku: Hmm Sora seems mad at me for some reason..

Cloud: Well you don't seem to happy with him either..

LeeLee-san: Shush you two! That will be explained later! Review please!


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